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Descendants of Enslaved Call Out Saint Louis University | St. Louis

Published

2 years ago

February 9, 2024

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He wasn’t there, but one couldn’t help but wonder whether Dr. Fred Pestello felt the brickbats hurled his way from Saint Louis University’s Busch Center. His office is just a couple of blocks down the street.

Members of Descendants of the Enslaved of SLU, a non-profit with an acronym DSLUE, were accusing the Jesuit university’s president at a spirited press conference and teach-in Thursday, February 8, of slow-walking consideration of their demands for reparations.

It didn’t take long to get the answer. Oh yes, he felt it. Within hours after DSLUE’s combination press conference and teach-in, Pestello issued a most gracious response.

“We cannot yet offer a detailed response to the specific information shared at today’s event on SLU’s campus.

“At this point, we can affirm that we understand and share the sense of urgency expressed by several members of the descendant community. SLU’s participation in the institution of slavery was a grave sin. We acknowledge that progress on our efforts to reconcile with this shameful history has been slow, and we regret the hurt and frustration this has caused.

“Continuing this work is a priority for SLU and the Society of Jesus. As we move forward, we hope to re-establish and build deeper relationships with all descendant families, to explore together how best to honor the memory of those who were enslaved by the Jesuits.”

Gracious perhaps, but unlikely to be disarming.

DSLUE, to quote the late activist Fannie Lou Hamer, is tired of being sick and tired as it tries to work with Pestello and his administration.

“We know from the Jesuits themselves, these universities unjustly enriched themselves and accumulated billions and billions of dollars at the expense of enslaved people,” declared Areva Martin, lead attorney for DSLUE.

Martin noted that the university in 2016 issued a report seeking reconciliation for the descendants. But she added: “Acknowledgement and apology are not the same as atonement.

“The committee that was tasked with implementing the goals of the report has never ever included a single expert who could speak to the monetary value of the thousands and thousands of hours of the people they enslaved. We know their names and the names of their descendants, hundreds of whom we have right here in the St. Louis community, in the shadow of this university, many of whom are standing here before you.” click to enlarge RICHARD H. WEISS Members of the nonprofit Descendants of the Enslaved of SLU, or DSLUE, took their message right to SLU — with a press conference on the university’s campus.

That included Robin Proudie. She is one of 200 living descendants of Henrietta Mills-Chauvin, who was enslaved by the Jesuits. Proudie is a founder of DSLUE.

“We are not asking for a handout,” she said. “We are asking for the debt to be paid.”

Supporting DSLUE’s case was SLU’s own Dr. Christopher Tinson, associate professor of history and department chair of African American Studies at SLU.

From the podium, DSLUE attorney Martin credited Tinson for securing the large multipurpose room at Busch Center for its event. For good measure he brought along several of his students.

In his remarks, Tinson referenced Hamer and a lesson he learned from her: “Never be afraid to speak out of place.” Tinson said, “For me, being here as a member of this university and who wants this university to thrive, wants it to own up to its own mission … it’s my special obligation to stand in solidarity with these efforts. This is something that I think enhances growth, and more importantly, it enhances the health of the campus community. So for me, I’m here to represent that step forward. And now we have to just continue to work.”

You might imagine Pestello’s predecessor, the famously dictatorial Father Lawrence Biondi, taking a very dim view of Tinson’s advocacy for a group critical of SLU. Pestello’s response to his activism has yet to be seen, however, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported that Pestello planned to meet today with DSLUE members.

Stay tuned.

Richard H. Weiss is a former editor at the Post-Dispatch and chair of the River City Journalism Fund, which seeks to advance local journalism in St. Louis. Please see rcjf.org for more information.

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Fenton Man Charged in Sword Attack on Roommate

Published

1 year ago

May 22, 2024

Natural Bridge

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A warrant is out for a Fenton man’s arrest after he allegedly attacked his roommate with a sword.

Police say that on Sunday, Angelus Scott spoke openly about “slicing his roommate’s head” before he grabbed a sword, raised it up and then swung it down at the roommate.

The roommate grabbed Scott’s hand in time to prevent injury. When police arrived at the scene, they found the weapon used in the assault.

The sword in question was a katana, which is a Japanese sword recognizable for its curved blade.

This isn’t the first time a samurai-style sword has been used to violent effect in St. Louis. In 2018, a man hearing voices slaughtered his ex-boyfriend with a samurai sword. His mother said he suffered from schizoaffective disorder.

As for Scott, 35, the St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office was charged yesterday with two felonies, assault first degree and armed criminal action. The warrant for his arrest says he is to be held on $200,000 bond.

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Caught on Video, Sheriff Says He’s Ready to ‘Turn It All Over’ to Deputy

Published

1 year ago

May 22, 2024

Natural Bridge

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Video of St. Louis Sheriff Vernon Betts taken by a former deputy suggests that the sheriff has a successor in mind to hand the reins of the department over to, even as Betts is in an increasingly heated campaign for reelection.

“I ain’t here for all this rigmarole,” Betts says in the video while seated behind his desk at the Carnahan Courthouse. “The Lord sent me here to turn this department around and I’m doing the best I can and I think I’ve done a good job. I’ve got about eight months and I’m going to qualify for my fourth pension.”

He goes on, “Right now I can walk up out of here and live happily ever after and forget about all this…and live like a king.”

The sheriff then says his wife has been in Atlanta looking at houses and that the other deputy in the room, Donald Hawkins, is someone Betts has been training “to turn it all over to him.”

Asked about the video, Betts tells the RFT, “My future plans are to win reelection on August 6th by a wide margin and to continue my mission as the top elected law enforcement official to make St. Louis safer and stronger. Serving the people of St. Louis with integrity, honor and professional law enforcement qualifications is a sacred responsibility, and I intend to complete that mission.”

The video of Betts was taken by Barbara Chavers, who retired from the sheriff’s office in 2016 after 24 years of service. Chavers now works security at Schnucks at Grand and Gravois. Betts’ brother Howard works security there, too.

Chavers tells the RFT that she was summoned to Betts’ office last week after Betts’ brother made the sheriff aware that she was supporting Montgomery. It was no secret: Chavers had filmed a Facebook live video in which she said she was supporting Betts’ opponent Alfred Montgomery in the election this fall. “Make the judges safe,” she says in the video, standing in front of a large Montgomery sign on Gravois Avenue. “They need a sheriff who is going to make their courtrooms safe.”

In his office, even as Chavers made clear she was filming him, Betts told Chavers he was “flabbergasted” and “stunned” she was supporting Montgomery.

“I don’t know what I did that would make you go against the preacher man,” he says, referring to himself. He then refers to Montgomery as “ungodly.”

Betts goes on to say that not long ago, he was walking in his neighborhood on St. Louis Avenue near 20th Street when suddenly Montgomery pulled up in his car and, according to Betts, shouted, “You motherfucker, you this, you that. You’re taking my signs down.”

Montgomery tells the RFT that he’s never interacted with Betts outside of candidate forums and neighborhood meetings.

“I don’t think anyone with good sense would do something like that to a sitting sheriff,” Montgomery says.

Montgomery has had campaign signs missing and on at least two occasions has obtained video of people tearing them down. (Chavers notes that the sign that she filmed her original Facebook video in front of is itself now missing.)

One man who lives near Columbus Square says that he recently put out two Montgomery signs, which later went missing. “If they keep taking them, I’ll keep putting them up,” he said.

Betts says he has nothing to do with the missing signs. In the video Chavers filmed in Betts’ office, Betts says that his campaign isn’t in a spot where it needs to resort to tearing down opponents’ signs.

“If you sit here long enough, a man is getting ready to come across the street from City Hall bringing me $500, today,” Betts says. “I’m getting that kind of support. I don’t need to tear down signs.”

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St. Louis to Develop First Citywide Transportation Plan in Decades

Published

1 year ago

May 21, 2024

Natural Bridge

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The City of St. Louis is working to develop its first citywide mobility plan in decades, Mayor Tishaura Jones’ office announced Tuesday. This plan seeks to make it easier for everyone — drivers, pedestrians, bikers and public transit users — to safely commute within the city.

The plan will bring together other city projects like the Brickline Greenway, Future64, the MetroLink Green Line, and more, “while establishing new priorities for a safer, more efficient and better-maintained transportation network across the City,” according to the release.

The key elements in the plan will be public engagement, the development of a safety action plan, future infrastructure priorities and transportation network mapping, according to Jones’ office.

The overarching goals are to create a vision for citywide mobility, plan a mixture of short and long-term mobility projects and to develop improved communication tools with the public to receive transportation updates. In recent years, both people who use public transit and cyclists have been outspoken about the difficulties — and dangers — of navigating St. Louis streets, citing both cuts to public transit and traffic violence.

To garner public input and participation for the plan, Jones’ office said there will be community meetings, focus groups and a survey for residents to share their concerns. The city will also be establishing a Community Advisory Committee. Those interested in learning more should check out at tmp-stl.com/

“Everyone deserves to feel safe when getting around St. Louis, whether they’re driving, biking, walking or taking public transit,” Jones said in a news release. “Creating a comprehensive transportation and mobility plan allows us to make intentional and strategic investments so that moving around St. Louis for jobs, education, and entertainment becomes easier, safer and more enjoyable.”

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